He said he had done “what I think a leader should do… an awful lot of listening” – to party members, unions and the wider Labour movement – before coming to a revised position.

He said he would “make a case” to Parliament in September to get another referendum and in the meantime, Labour will “do everything we can to take no deal off the table or stop a damaging deal of the sort Hunt or Johnson propose”.

‘Sensible alternative’

Asked if he had changed his position because of pressure from colleagues, Mr Corbyn said: “Not a bit of it. I’ve been listening and I’ve enjoyed it.”

Mr Corbyn said he could not say what Labour’s position would be at a general election, but would decide it “very quickly”, depending on the circumstances at the time, whenever one was called.

In a letter to members, he said Labour continued to believe the “compromise plan” set out for Brexit during cross-party talks with the government earlier this year was a “sensible alternative that could bring the country together”.

This included a customs union, a strong single market relationship and the protection of environmental regulations and rights at work.

Mr Corbyn’s statement followed a shadow cabinet meeting on Tuesday morning, and a meeting with trade union leaders on Monday.

The bosses of Labour’s five-biggest affiliated unions called for the move the party has made – but also for it to hold a “confirmatory vote” on any new deal it negotiated if Labour won a general election.

‘Bridge still to cross’

The BBC’s political correspondent Iain Watson said there was disagreement about the second part of the unions’ stance in shadow cabinet, with deputy leader Tom Watson wanting a “straight Remain stance”, meaning a decision on it was “kicked down the road”.

The deputy leader is among leading figures who have argued that confusion over Labour’s message on Brexit contributed to its poor performance in the recent European Parliament elections.

Set against them, other Labour MPs have warned that backing a fresh referendum could cost the party votes in Leave-supporting areas.

Mr Watson said he was “happy” with the new Brexit position “up to the election”, but the party had “yet to cross that bridge” when it comes to its manifesto for the next election.

“Our members have been telling us for some time now that they want us to be a Remain party and that they want us to put the new deal to the people,” he added.

“We’re now going to campaign for that and I’m very proud that the shadow cabinet have now listened to their concerns.”

Shadow Treasury minister Clive Lewis said if a snap election was called, Labour would try to renegotiate the Brexit deal agreed by Theresa May, despite saying it “very much looks like” Labour is now the party of Remain.

He told the BBC’s Politics Live: “If we win that general election, we will come into power, and if we can renegotiate that deal – a Labour deal – we will because that’s what people asked for.”

But asked if he would campaign for his own party’s deal in a referendum, he said: “No, I wouldn’t.”